'It's Complicated', new work from the kiln.

UPDATE: Finished. All went as planned in the end. The legs, however did want to move in the kiln, so the body does not slide back and forth like it did when it was raw, and the ball did flatten out just a bit.

So now it all seems solid and resting on the ground for safety. I did add gloss encaustic to the ball and matt to the body. The eyes are black gloss glaze fired in the kiln. And i found the perfect pedestal to display it, a 24" round 24" high 1990's drum table. It was painted black by the side of the road, but not for long.

March 2, 2016

A work in progress. Unfired clay ceramic sculpture for the series 'Lost Not Forgotten', titled 'It's Complicated'.

The ball, giraffe body and head are all raw clay with a real child's skate used as a prop. That brown grassy stuff is my filling of choice for these creatures. Of course this is just a mock up to help me see the final product. It would burn up in the kiln.

The ball was a structural challenge as was the leather textured legs that wrap around the ball. Everything kept shrinking at different rates and directions. All I could do was watch for cracking and stress. (Me not the clay) It may go in the first fire this week depending on how the schedule is. I'll update soon.